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LONDON (AFP) - The device fired at the headquarters of Britain's foreign intelligence agency was a Russian-built anti-tank weapon, anti-terrorist police said here Friday.
Parts of the Mark 22 weapon were found near the offices of MI6 on Thursday, after the rocket attack on the fortified building late the previous evening. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alan Fry, head of the anti-terrorist branch, said it was portable, easily concealable and designed to use under battlefield conditions. According to Paul Beaver, of Jane's Defence Review, the weapon is a rocket propelled grenade RPG-22, an upgraded version of the classic RPG-7. He said it was a frontline weapon of the Russian army and was also used in Chechnya and the former Yugoslavia. "It has a longer range, is more accurate and more reliable than the RPG-7, and is easier to use," he told AFP. The identification of the weapon appears to strengthen suspicions that the attack was carried out by dissident Irish republicans opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process, such as the so-called Real IRA. Earlier this year, police in Croatia seized a consignment of weapons bound for the dissidents. "It can be carried in a large holdall, it's relatively light, it's quick to operate," Fry told a news conference. He appealed for witnesses, saying somebody must have seen someone carrying the device, assembling it, firing it and escaping. "Almost certainly they had been there before and checked out the area and where they were going to use this weapon," Fry added. "Either this person had some military training or certainly he has had some training, although the skill necessary to use this weapon takes about 30 minutes to acquire." The MI6 building, on the south bank of the river Thames, was only slightly damaged in the attack. Two windows and a metal frame bore the brunt. "It's a very powerful weapon indeed," Fry said. "We are fortunate that not more damage was sustained on Wednesday evening. It could easily go through the surface of most offices." This is the first time this type of rocket launcher has been seen and used on mainland Britain, although in February a similar weapon was found in Northern Ireland, where it was believed to have been hidden by the Real IRA. "This is a very easily acquired weapon if you have the mind to acquire it. There are stockpiles of these weapons available for those who have the intent and purpose to use them," Fry said. Although the Real IRA is a prime suspect, he could not discount the theory that other terrorist groups could be responsible. He said: "I do not pretend other than that this is a most undesirable piece of equipment to be in the hands of terrorist groups. "It is an extension of their capabilities, it is a lethal weapon." |
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